


How Monsters Bloom (and so do we)

by Skeletorific



Category: Swapfell - Fandom, Towntale, Underfell - Fandom, Undertale (Video Game), underswap
Genre: !!!!!!!, Jacket sharing, Other, SF!Sans is a damn tsundere, Some Swearing, aaaallll of the fluffiest tropes, concern for health
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-10-22 21:56:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10705929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skeletorific/pseuds/Skeletorific
Summary: Right, because there definitely aren't enough Reader fics in the Undertale fandom. Basically you're a struggling post-college graduate looking for a sense of purpose and belonging, and wind up working on a farm run by two particular monsters. It will eventually evolve into a fluffy romp with all of the monsters from the four AUs. Will be skelebro heavy but then what isn't in this fandom. I promise the others will be here in large degree too. Set a few years after Post-Pacifist route. AU (or is it UA?) created in conjunction with Bluestales, Iloy, and Golden-Flower-Games





	1. On the Hunt (the job hunt, that is)

**Author's Note:**

> So this first chapter isn't very skeleton (or any monster really) heavy. Gotta work on that sloooow reveal and establish the reader. Next chapter should fix that though.

“And you’re absolutely sure it’s okay that I can’t pay rent?”  
  
“Ask me that one more time,” The red-head said, holding up a small figurine from the box she was hauling. “And I will shove this thing down your throat.”  
  
“Alright, alright!” you laugh, setting down your own box in the corner. “Just wanted to be sure you know what you’re getting into.”  
  
“Look, you’re job hunting, right?” The girl set the box on the bed and stood up, brushing some loose hair out of her face. “And trust me, town like this, you’re pretty much guaranteed to stumble across something part-time. Until then I don’t mind taking the hit on a few rent checks.”  
  
“Well, thanks for that.” You say. “Really, Rif, I appreciate it.”  
  
She waved it off. “Consider it a thank you for the eight billion coffees you refused to let me pay for in college.”  
  
You smirk, raise an eyebrow. “Actually, now that you mention it, maybe you should be paying me rent.”  
  
“Ha ha.” She said, rolling her eyes. She pointed out the bedroom door. “Bathroom is down the hall and to the left, my room’s just beyond that. Floors creak at night, so it’s not serial killer, just old wood. Also my aunt is paying for heat on two conditions: we keep this place in good repair and that thermostat never sees above 60. So I hope you brought blankets.”  
  
“Don’t think that’ll be much of an issue right now.” You looked outside. “I think my car is sweating.”  
  
“Trust me, it will be.” She shoved her hands in her pockets. “I’ll let you get settled. Yell if you need me?”  
  
You nodded. “Thanks again.”  
  
“Like I said, don’t mention it.” She walked out, closing the door behind her to give you some privacy.  
  
You started unloading the clothes into the nearby dresser. Some sheets were folded at the end of your bed, so you started putting those on. A couple of trinkets you set on top of your dresser. Not much, a couple of figurines, some old refugees of an unfortunate pottery phase that you didn’t have the heart to throw out, others professionally done and of some of your favorite characters. A couple of books that you couldn’t live without. You dropped off your toiletry supplies in the bathroom. Judging by the sounds (or lack thereof) coming from Rif’s room, she had fallen asleep. Looks like her jacked sleeping schedule had never reset from back in your college days.  
  
You did a last check of your car for anything you might have missed and found an old photo jammed in your glove box. Wasn’t much, just something from when you were fifteen. You with your parents on either side, grinning that awkward camera smile you had never grown past. You couldn’t even remember where this photo had been taken. But you brought it inside anyway and used a tack to pin it to your wall. Then you flopped back on the bed (its springs creaked, unused to the strain).  
  
It was a little pathetic to look at, honestly. The walls were white-washed, making it feel emptier somehow. The floors were dusty: Rif had never been much with a broom. Still, you were lucky to have this space at all, you supposed. Kind of hard to find an apartment when you were seemingly terminally unemployed.  
  
Speaking of which….you pulled your laptop from the side of the bed and opened it up. You plugged in some headphones and turned on some music, and settled into work. Time for some job searching.  
  
\------------  
  
After a few fruitless hours, the hunger pangs in your stomach grow too insistent to ignore, so you close the computer and walk out to go scavenge what you can.Rif must’ve had the same thought. She was shambling around the kitchen, bleary-eyed and decidedly disheveled.  
  
“Morning, Sleeping Beauty”  
  
“Time’s a fuckin construct” she muttered, pulling out a frying pan.  
  
“How bout dinner time? That a construct?”  
  
“Tacos aren’t. Want some non-construct constrained tacos?”  
  
“Whose bright idea was it to let you major in English.” You say, taking a seat at the table.  
  
“Damned if I know.” She took some beef from the sink where it had been defrosting and put it in the pan, turning on the heat.  
  
“Want some help?”  
  
“Uh, mind grating some cheese?” She yawned, grabbing a stirring spoon and using its edge to dice the meat into smaller chunks. “There’s some in the fridge. Think the grater’s in the dishwasher.”  
  
You pull them out and start grating. “So kind of scarce opportunities online.”  
  
“Oh, should’ve warned ya.” Her voice is perking up a little more as she begins to re-enter consciousness more fully. “This place is seriously old-fashioned. Lot of people around here still read the newspaper. Way to get an in is through personal connections.”  
  
“Well, good thing I’m just rife with those.”  
  
“I’ll take you in to see Mrs. Bahl tomorrow.” The smell of cooking meat slowly began to fill the air. “Runs a grocery store. If she’s not hiring, she’ll know who is.”  
  
“Cool.” You grate what you deem is enough cheese. “Want me to chop some tomatoes?”  
  
“If you want.” She shrugged. “I don’t really eat em, but go nuts.”  
  
You nodded, tracking down a knife and slicing into the tomato.  
  
“By the way, g transfer isn’t a problem for you, is it? A lot of monster employers around town. Most of them have adapted, but some of them still pay wages in g.”  
  
“Oh, right. Nah, shouldn’t be an issue, I’m pretty sure my bank has a system for it.” You’d forgotten how close this place was to Mt. Ebott. A lot of monsters still lived around here, one of the earliest points of re-entry. “What are they like, anyways? We have maybe one or two back home.”  
  
She shrugged, turning the meat as it browned. “Some good, some bad, some in-between. Like people, basically.” She chuckled. “There’s this one gal, Muffet I think? She’s basically a giant anthropomorphized spider. Has a few sisters around town, I think. Creeps me out, but I guess that’s more my problem than hers.”  
  
“Oh, shit.” You groaned, scraping the newly diced tomatoes onto a small plate. “Just realized I’m gonna be the one who’s killing the spiders, aren’t I?” Rif had near paralyzing arachnophobia.  
  
“Damn straight.” Rif said. “Course, it’s more catch and release lately. A lot of monster spiders are regular sized and don’t talk much. Never know if that thing you’re stepping on technically qualifies for legal citizenship or not.”  
  
“Noted.” You worked in mainly silence for a few more minutes until Rif spread the seasoning and declared the tacos completed. They weren’t bad. You caught up on old times. You and her had been friends since college, but it had been almost 6 months since the last time you’d seen her. Finally, your eyes were tired enough that you couldn’t keep them open any longer, and you bid her good night, collapsing on the bed. It was a little stiff, but you were too exhausted to care, and passed into a dreamless sleep.  
  
\------  
  
The next day Rif took you to the grocery store and introduced you to the proprietor, Mrs. Bahl. She was an old woman with a face and body that looked as hard as nails, but her face was lit up by a smile and her hair was the most gorgeous thing you’d ever laid eyes on.  
  
“Unfortunately, I’m not hiring at the moment.” She said. “Just picked up the last kid I’ll need last week.” She gestured to a mopey looking bunny with blue fur, although he had a black streak died in the fuzz on top of his head. “Don’t know how long he’ll last, but for now….”  
  
“Do you know anyone else who might be hiring?” You said.  
  
“Let me think…..” her face twisted in concentration. “That fire man Cinders is hiring….but he’s a bit of a tightfist, I wouldn’t waitress for him unless you’re truly desperate….”  
  
You were seriously curious how a fireman found time to run a restaurant in addition to, well, being a fireman (not to mention the staggering coincidence of a fireman being named Cinders) but decided to leave It alone.  
  
“Oh!” she snapped, slapping a fist into a palm. She turned to her left and yelled. “Kelli! Aren’t Rasp and Syrup looking for help?" Rasp? Syrup? What was with the names in this town? Was this like a monster thing?  
  
The girl nodded. “Least that’s what they said last week.”  
  
“Rasp and Syrup run a farm out on the edge of town.” She explained. “Small thing, just some pigs and a greenhouse, but if you don’t mind getting messy, they pay their hands fairly well.”  
  
“Uh….maybe?” You had never done farm work per se, but dirt didn’t really bother you. Or animals. “What can you tell me about them?”  
  
She shrugged. “They’re brothers. The tall one is Syrup. Quiet fella. Polite. Looks like a punk, kind of is one, but he’s decent folk.”  
  
“He’s dreamy.” Kelli piped in.  
  
Mrs. Bahl rolled her eyes. “Well, I wouldn’t know, would I? And get back to work, those floors aren’t gonna be swept by wishing.” Kelli smirked, but did as she was told.  
  
“The smaller one, Rasp….well, he’s a bit eccentric to say the least.”  
  
“More like a fuckin maniac.” The bunny muttered as he walked past to stock something.  
  
“Hey, what’d I say about language in front of the customers?” she said. “That said…..yeah, he can be a bit of a prick. But he’s a hard worker. Bit of a difficult employer, but the hands that last long are usually well-compensated.”  
  
“Alright.” You turned it over in your mind. It wasn’t ideal, but it was available. Plus, working with difficult employers wasn’t much new for you, after a few years in the fast food track. “Can you give me directions?”  
  
She drew some up for you on a napkin. It wasn’t totally clear to you, but clear enough that Rif could probably walk you through the rest. You were going to have to get familiar with this town in a hurry. Rif circled back with a few purchases. “Ready?”  
  
You nodded. “Think so.”  
  
You both got into her car and she started driving home. “So, she have anything for ya?”  
  
“Farm hand work with two guys named Syrup and Rasp.”  
  
She paused a second and then hummed in realization. “Oh, those two. Yeah, I’ve seen them around a few times. Haven’t really talked to them though.”  
  
“I mean, it might not work out based on what she said, but you never know.” You shrugged.  
  
“You sure you’re cut out for farm life, city kid?” she said, donning an exaggerated country accent.  
  
“Funny, coming from the gal who won’t set foot in any building without climate control.”  
  
“Whatever you say, greenhorn.” She said. “Still, you sure this is what you want?”  
  
“Worth a try. I could use a change of pace. Besides,” you smirked. “that girl Kelli described that Syrup guy as ‘dreamy’ so at least I’ll have a few built-in perks.”  
  
Rif laughed. “Kelli’s got very specific tastes then.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“Oh, who would I be to spoil the surprise?” She grinned.  
  
You rolled your eyes. “Fine. Leave me in suspense. I’ll find out soon enough.”  
  
\----  
  
Once you got back you changed into something that you thought looked a little more farm suitable. Most of the clothes you had brought were old enough that you could sacrifice them to whatever the farm had in store for you, but if you got this job you’d definitely need to throw that first paycheck on some shopping. You had Rif lay out the directions for you, and set off.  
  
Even with two explanations, you still managed to get lost a couple of times, but eventually you found your way there. It was a pretty isolated place, with fields surrounding on all sides. A small little one-story, clean but with ivy climbing the sides and the windows shuttered. There was a greenhouse out back and a little further on, a barn.  
The smell hit you almost instantly. It was near over-powering, and you had to pause for a moment. Like every country fair your parents had ever dragged you to all rolled into one. You almost considered packing up, but you eventually talked yourself down. You’d adjust to the smell eventually. And if you ended up smelling like it too…..well, you weren’t here to track down a boyfriend anyways.  
  
You tried the house door a few times, but no one answered. Off in the distance you could hear what sounded like yelling from the barn, and decided to save that one for last. So you approached the greenhouse and knocked on the door.  
  
At first no answer. You repeated. Nothing. Sighing, you were walking away towards the barn when you heard the door open behind you.  


  
“uh…..hey.”

“Hi!” you said, instinctively slipping into your perky ‘please consider me dependable and likable’ voice. “I’m here to talk about-“ you pivoted on your heel and your mouth stopped dead when you saw what….who was standing in the doorway.

Filling the frame was what looked like about 7 feet of skeleton, a lit cigarette dangling from its mouth.


	2. The Tall One Seems to be On Your Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for  
> spooky  
> Scary  
> S K E L E TO N S

“……can I help you?”

Fortunately you were spared the indignity of going slack-jawed, but your lips were parted, forming undefined syllables that died before your tongue got to them. The skeleton, meanwhile had a face that was transforming from bemusement into mild concern.

Like you said, you had seen monsters before, but all of them had looked decidedly non-human. The closest you got was the ones like that bunny at the grocery store that looked like someone’s fursona stepped off the screen. And you had definitely seen nothing that prepared you for a freakishly tall skeleton, smoking and wearing a bandanna on his head for purposes you simply could not fathom.

“you doin’ okay, kid?”

Come on, come on, get it together! You cleared your throat stalling for time. A quick glance up and down made you pretty sure this was the tall brother (if he was the short one you decided right then and there you could live without this job). “Uh, you’re Syrup, right?”

“So they tell me.” He tapped his cigarette against the frame of the door. How does he even smoke that without lu-FOCUS.

“Uh, um…” you tugged on your shirt, trying to get past this stammery phase. “I’m here about the job?”

A long silence as he took another puff. Then his eye sockets widened slightly (how). “Right! Right, forgot we told ‘Nika about that.”

‘Nika? Probably Mrs. Bahl’s first name (or at least a shortened version). “Yeah. Well, uh….I’m new in town, between jobs at the moment, and I was wondering…..I mean,” your tongue was starting to pick up momentum now, threatening to become an unstoppable freight train of verbiage if you let it. “I don’t have a whole lot of experience with this kind of work in particular, but…you know, I’m a pretty fast learner, and I’m willing to work hard, and-“

“Cool.” He said, neatly cutting you off and tapping his cigarette again. The ashes floated to the ground in a neat grey pile. “Listen, I was kind of in the middle of something in here when you came by. Mind stepping in with me? We can still work it out.”

You gave him what you hoped was a subtle once-over. Skeleton or not, he didn’t exactly look like the kind of guy you wanted to walk into a room alone with after knowing him for two minutes. He had on dark skinny jeans with chains on the pockets and heavy, spiked boots. A dark tank top draped a presumable skinny rib cage along with dog tags on a chain. There was a black leather jacket with yellow detailing tied at his hips. Didn’t help that he was almost seven feet tall and despite being so skinny looked like he could rip you in half if he wanted to.

He seemed to sense your hesitation. “Relax, kid, I don’t bite.” His teeth quirked, not exactly smiling, but not far off. You realized he had a false gold tooth. And fangs. Creepy. “And trust me, you’ll want to come through me before my bro.” As if to punctuate his point there was a sudden burst of frustrated screaming from the barn that made you jump.

“Um….okay.”

“Cool.” He pulled a filter out of his pocket and slapped it on the end of his cig. He waved you after him as he walked back inside. After hesitating just a second longer, you followed, closing the door behind you. 

Immediately you could tell why he had ditched his jacket. It was sweltering in there. Already you could feel beads of sweat forming on your forehead. The sun beat down punishingly on the glass and the air was heavy with moisture.

Syrup went back to what it was that he had been doing. You weren’t exactly a plant expert but you were pretty sure it was transplanting. He pulled on some thick, battered gardening gloves and lodged his cigarette in the small gap between his teeth and his….not teeth. Look, you weren’t exactly a chiropractor, alright? 

“Do you….need help with that?”

He shook his head. “I got it. So, what’s your name?”

“Uh…y/n”

He nodded. Slowly, carefully, his fingers started probing the dirt around the plant in front of him, letting him cup the roots. “You said you haven’t done this kind of thing before?”

You considered playing it off better, but ended up shaking your head. “Not really, no. But like I said, I’m a really fast learner.”

He carefully removed the small plant from the cheap plastic pot. Its roots were white and delicate, and a bit of dirt dribbled from between his fingers as he transferred it into a bigger pot. “So why start now?”

“What?”

The plant was carefully placed within, and he started tamping down the soil around it, scooping in more from the original pot to cover the base completely. “Most of the people we get are high schoolers who don’t really have anything better to do.” He raised his….eyes? They looked more like tiny fireflies set in his sockets. “And no offense, but you don’t look young enough to be one of them.”

“Where’s a skeleton learn to read age on a human face?” You mutter, before clapping a hand over your mouth. “Sorry, that was probably rude.”

There was the ghost of a smile on his face as he refocused on his work. “I’ve picked up a few things. So am I right?”

You shrug. “Yeah. College graduate.”

“So what are you doing here?”

“I’m seriously not following.”

He had secured it to his satisfaction and went to retrieve a watering can from a nearby table. “Don’t most humans kind of have a place to be after university?”

Instinctively you tense up. “Not all.”

“But most.” He drizzled the water in a circle around the plant. There was a peculiar intense focus that he went about the work with. If he hadn’t been talking to you you would’ve thought that he had forgotten you were there.

“Yeah, most.” You sigh.

He raised a brow, looking up as he set the can aside. “Look, its none of my business. And if I’m honest I don’t really care that much.” You must have unconsciously raise an eyebrow. “No offense. Just trying to make sure we’re not taking in a runaway or criminal or anything.”

You shook your head. “Nothing like that. Just….trying to figure stuff out, I guess.”

He gave you a long, searching look, then broke it just before it got uncomfortable. “Fair enough.” He set the plant aside and pulled the gloves off, returning the cigarette to his hand. “So how much would you be willing to work?”

“As many hours as I could.” You say, stuffing your hands in your pockets. “I’ve got rent to pay, so…”

“Place of your own in town?”

“I’m boarding with a friend.” You said. “Uh….how much would starting wage be, if I can ask?”

He shrugged. “It's up to my bro, but we usually start with around 10 to 15 g an hour.”

Now it was your jaw’s time to drop. “Te-ten to…” your math wasn’t great, but you knew that was a lot.

“We do good business around here. Not to mention the gold exchange left most of us pretty well off. Not gonna be a problem, is it?” There was something faintly teasing about the tone.

You shook your head, and then remembered to close your mouth. “Nope. Not a bit.”

“Good. But then, me yammering about it’s the easy part.” He stepped outside and beckoned you to follow. “Hard part’s convincing my bro to let you on.”

You follow him out. “uh….no offense, but couldn’t you just hire me?” 

He shook his head. He swept the bandanna off his head and mopped around his skull before tying it around his arm. Apparently skeletons could sweat. “Doesn’t work like   
that. Chief has the final say in this. And I’ll warn ya right now, he’s not as easy as I am to win over.”

Implying, maybe, that you had won him over? “I…I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Was it your imagination or had he just smirked? “Whatever helps. Come on, no sense wasting time on an introduction.” 

You followed him, heart pounding faintly in your chest. 

The yelling, as well as the smell, only grew in volume and strength as you got closer to the barn. Slowly it formed itself into a slightly grating voice yelling orders. “CHARA! GET AT THE OTHER END, I’M GOING TO CHASE IT TOWARDS YOU.”

“Oh, yeah.” Syrup said. “You’ll meet Chara too. They come around here a lot, so you may as well get used to them.”

“They’re one of the human ambassadors, right?” you said. You could vaguely remember seeing four young kids on the news at some point.

“That’s the one. By the way, don’t know if they’ll let you right away, but we call them Sweet.”

“Why….?”

“There’s another Chara among the ambassadors. Makes things confusing.”

“Huh, what are the odds of-“ Suddenly a little head poked from around the corner. A young kid, around 12 or 13, splattered head to toe in mud. They had curly red-brown hair and pale skin. “Hey, Syrup, could you-“ they noticed you. “Who’re they?”

“New employee, maybe. Chief busy?”

Chara rolled their eyes and heaved a sigh too heavy for their age. “He’s only wanting to be.” They turned their head and yelled. “RASPBERRY!”

“I TOLD YOU, DON’T CALL ME THAT!”

“What else should I call you, it's your name, dummy. Syrup has to show you something.”

A clattering of bones and suddenly another skeleton came around the corner, fuming. “I TOLD YOU, I PREFER THE TERRIBLE AND MALEFICENT SA-“ He stopped dead when he saw you. “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?”

Don’t laugh don’t laugh don’t laugh….

Wasn’t exactly easy. This yelling skeleton who seemed to have no concept of inside voice was tiny. Maybe a bare few inches between him and Chara. If you had to guess you’d say 4’11”. The contrast between him and his brother was almost hysterical.

He glared at you from scarred up eyesockets. “ARE YOU DEAF?”

“O-oh, sorry.” You said, snapping back to attention. “Um, I’m y/n, and I’m here about the job?”

“WHAT JOB. WHO SENT YOU?”

“Chief, ‘member?” Syrup chimed in. “You mentioned wanting to pick up a new hand last week.”

“OF COURSE I REMEMBER. THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT-“ he looked at you, and then sighed. “RASPBERRY WAS ONLY TESTING YOU.”

Was this guy for real? Already you were starting to lose your resolve. Repeating the figure 10 g an hour seemed to help though.

Rasp gave you a head to toe assessment, clearly not impressed with what he saw. “AND YOU THOUGHT THIS WAS ACCEPTABLE TO SCREEN THROUGH?”

Syrup shrugged. “Think they’re worth a shot at least.”

Rasp looked at you again doubtfully, and then surprisingly turned to face Chara. “WHAT DO YOU THINK?”

Chara gave you such a thorough examination you might’ve laughed has they not looked so sure of themselves about it. Instead you did your best to appear friendly, putting on the warmest smile you could. Instead it came out awkward. They noticed, and you thought you may have detected the faintest eye roll, but they nodded. “I’m with Syrup. I think they’re worth a shot.”

He nodded, solemnly, like this was something of a final word. “HUMAN!” you resisted the urge to correct him to your name. “WHILE IT IS UNLIKELY YOU WILL PROVE YOU ARE ANY WORTHIER THAN THE LAST THREE IDIOTS I’VE HAD THE MISFORTUNE TO DEAL WITH, YOU WILL BE HAPPY TO KNOW I HAVE DECIDED TO GRANT YOU A CHANCE.”

“….Thank you.” You said. Mostly because he seemed to be waiting to hear you say that. “Uh, when do I start, then?”

“RIGHT NOW, OF COURSE.” A wicked grin spread across his face, and you noticed his teeth were as sharp as his brother’s. “YOU WOULDN’T EXPECT ME TO COMMIT MYSELF WITHOUT A SMALL TEST FIRST?”

“Uh, no.” Instinctively you looked at his brother, who was staying quiet. “Of course not.”

“VERY WELL THEN.” He tossed you a burlap sack and pointed inside the barn. You stepped forward to see what he was indicating.

Inside was a large pen, from which the vast majority of the smell seemed to be emanating. The pen was filled with pigs, most lying in the mud and doing as pigs were wont to do, but scattered here and there were small, frisky piglets, running here and there and butting heads with the others. Their paths were chaos to follow. Like an exclamation point on the madness, there was one pig, a bit trimmer than the others, in gods-damned BATTLE ARMOR, trotting around, trying to herd the smallest, but to no avail. 

“I NEED TO HAVE THE YOUNG ONES PUT IN A SEPARATE PEN WITH THEIR MOTHER.” The smirk only deepened. “GOOD LUCK.”


	3. Chapter Three-Down and Dirty (its not what you think)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, finally got to write this sucker.  
> Also, it should be noted I know very little about pigs.  
> Like many of you, these are pigs as I want them to be.  
> Also, Swapfell Chara is a bookworm and a secret lil shit. But they learned from the best. Rasp, aka, the littlest shit.

Chapter Three  
Three hours later, your clothes were irredeemably destroyed. You were coated from head to toe in what you kept telling yourself was just mud. Judging by the smell that was just wishful thinking. And you had succeeded in getting exactly two piglets into the pen.

Out of ten.

They were slippery little bastards, that was for sure, and seemed determined to make up for a lifetime of lying around by being as fast and energetic as possible. Your initial attempts had been chasing them all into a corner and picking them off one by one, but every time they manage to squeeze through the inch between you and the fencepost. Then you thought, what the hell, they’re babies, they’ll tire out eventually.

But after a few hours, you were panting for air and leaning against the fence while they grinned at you from the opposite side of the pen, looking barely winded.

Even when you managed to get a hand on them, they would kick and squeal and wriggle until they slipped from your grasp, loosened by their muddy coating. And that was if the mother didn’t start harassing you until you dropped her baby.

The others hung around. Raspberry refused to let you have any health. Syrup once or twice made a move to give you a hand, but a look from his brother brought him back. Eventually he got bored (or maybe he couldn’t hold back his barely contained laughter anymore) and he went back, presumably to the greenhouse. Chara sat on the fencepost, swinging their legs. Occasionally they said encouragement, other time laughed at your struggles. After the first hour and a half they went to the house and came back with a book, sitting against the wall cross-legged.

Raspberry, meanwhile, was proving himself the boss from hell. He leaned against the fence, looking more smug than anyone that short had a right to be. He heckled, harassed, and laughed hard at your every stumble. The pig in battle armor, who seemed to be less livestock and more pet, sat loyally by his side, only departing to make sure no piglets escaped the pen before returning to be pet.

You were exhausted and considered throwing in the towel (and maybe getting yourself a towel) half a dozen times, but by now that competitive streak had kicked in and you wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug grin off his stupid boney face. 

No matter how long it took, which at this point, was looking to be eternity.

“hey chief.” Syrup stuck his head in the door. “help me get drinks?”

“I’M NOT THIRSTY.”

“not for you.” He glanced in your direction. “they’ve been at it for a while, they might pass out.”

You suddenly became aware of a burning sensation at the back of your throat and suddenly a drink was all you’ve wanted in the world.

Raspberry looked at you and raised a browbone. You were too tired to question how that worked. “AND I SHOULD CARE BECAUSE….”

“chara’s gonna overheat too, aren’t’cha?” No response, and Syrup cleared his…..throat? 

They looked up from their book, looking faintly startled to be re-entering reality. “Wha?”

“thirsty?”

They raised an eyebrow but studied his expression for a second. “Sure.”

Blood sighed. “FINE. TEACUP, COME.” He walked out with his brother, the pig trotting obediently behind.

You sighed, and rolled your shoulder. “Alright you little fu-“ you stop, and look at Chara. “Uh, sorry.”

They roll their eyes. “Syrup curses more, ‘m used to it.” They closed their book and set it carefully on a box, then came to lean against the fence. “Having trouble?”

You chuckle bitterly. “Just a bit.” You flicked a bit of mud towards the piglets with the toe of your shoe. “No offense but your pigs are kind of assholes.”

They smiled. “Just a bit.” They looked toward the house. The brothers hadn’t returned yet. They leaned over the fence and whispered. “Next time you catch one, scratch under their chin.”

You look between them and the pigs. “Really?”

They nodded. “They go crazy for it, they won’t put up so much fuss after that.”

“Alright….still the problem of catching them though…”

“Once you get one it’ll get easier. They’re smarter than you think. They know when someone’s petting them, and they’ll be a little easier on you.”

“Okay.” The door burst open, and you saw them coming towards the barn, Raspberry striding and Syrup ambling. “Uh…isn’t this kind of cheating?”

Chara shrugged. “This isn’t really a test, he just wants to see you’re determined enough to do it. Besides, if you get the job, you’ll just ask every time you don’t know how to do something.”

“I guess.”

Rasp came in, depositing a drink into Chara’s hands, then shooting you a look. “HURRY UP AND DRINK, THEN GET BACK TO WORK.”

“Yes, sir.” You say without thinking. Still, he looks mollified and slightly pleased.

You head over to Syrup, who holds out a glass of water and is resembling an angel of mercy. At least according to the dry emptiness of your mouth. You toss back your head and start chugging.

“easy, easy, kid.” He chuckled. “you’re gonna drown or something.”

“I can think of worse ways to go.” You mumble. “Is it always this hot in this town?”

“its midsummer.” He said. Then a smirk crossed his face. “’course, you’re setting me up perfectly to say ‘nah, its just me’.”

It catches you off guard, and you laugh. He smiles softly, and for a moment you see what Kelli was talking about.

Definitely a bit dreamy.

“I’M NOT PAYING YOU TO STAND AROUND!”

“You’re not paying me at all yet.”

“AND ITS GOING TO SAY THAT WAY IF YOU DON’T GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR.”

You sigh, and hand the glass to Syrup. “Thanks.”

“have fun.” 

You roll up your sleeves and get back to work.

It takes another solid half hour before you finally get a grip on one, but the break gave you your second wind, and you’re more determined than ever. Finally, you drop to the ground, wrestling a kicking and squealing piglet to your chest. You wrangle with it for a minute or two before you manage to get your fingers under its chin and scratch its soft skin a few times.

Instantly the pig grunts happily and relaxes against you, closing its eyes as its mouth opens slightly. You grin as you stand up and carry it over to the pen.

The second the pig grunted happily, the others stilled and looked at you. They still skittered around you, never quite in arms reach, but when you reached for another they didn’t immediately dart away. Twenty minutes later they were all running around inside the other pen, while Rasp looked notably pouty.

“SO, YOU FIGURED IT OUT.”

“So, is that it?” You said, wiping some mud out of your face.

“WHILE I SINCERELY DOUBT THAT YOU’RE CONCLUSIONS WERE…..ENTIRELY ORIGINAL…” He looked over at Chara, who had on a very innocent, “who, me?” face. “YOU TECHNICALLY COMPLETED THE TEST. AND I'LL ADMIT, YOUR DEDICATION FOR THE PAST THREE HOURS HAS BEEN....SOMEWHAT IMPRESSIVE. SO…FOR NOW, YOU’RE HIRED.”

“Yes!” You yelled, startling all in the barn. “Uh, sorry. Thank you, thank you so much.”

“DON’T EXPECT I’LL GO EASY ON YOU, HUMAN.” He said, glaring. “YOUR JOB ONLY GETS HARDER FROM HERE, AND I WON’T HESITATE TO FIRE YOU IF YOU DISAPPOINT ME.”

“I swear, you won’t be sorry, sir.” Despite the exhaustion (not to mention the smell you’d need three showers to get out of you), you couldn’t hide the thrill of accomplishment that lightened your stomach.

He humphed but his expression seemed softened by the “sir”. “YOU START TOMORROW, AT NINE. DON’T BE LATE.”

“I’ll be here.” You held out a hand, only to pull it back. Probably not best to smear pig mess on your new boss. “Uh, I’ll see all of you tomorrow.”

“NINE AM. SHARP.”

“Bye.” Chara said, giving a small wave.

“see you, kid.”

That triumphant feeling lightened your steps all the way to your car and in bed. Only later would the muscle pains set in, but for now, you had a job. You slept the sleep of the hard-working, and in your case the truly exhausted, and dreamed of skeletal pigs eating books.


	4. But the Shorter One is Warming Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SHOUTOUT TO THE FIRST UPDATE IN FOREVER  
> Also you know how I said the plan was to leave this pretty platonic....  
> Yeah fuck that  
> YOU GET AN AWKWARD FLIRTATION! YOU GET A LOT OF SUBTEXT! EVERYBODY GETS A ROMANCE!  
> Anyways, enjoy winning over this little shit in this super long chapter

Chapter Four-

Well, it was certainly a good thing you hadn’t been expecting things to get easier.

If anything, Rasp was a harder taskmaster once you were actually at the receiving end of his wages. The orders flew thick and fast from his mouth, and their accomplishment was expected immediately and without fault. You were kept at practically a running pace all day just to keep up with him, and no matter how much you learned he never seemed satisfied.

“YOU CALL THESE STYS CLEAN? START OVER.”

“HUMAN! A MONSTER COULD SELF-DUST IN THE TIME IT TAKES YOU TO ACCOMPLISH THIS SIMPLE TASK.”

“IS THAT REALLY THE BEST YOU COULD DO?”

It was exhausting. Part of you just desperately wanted to throw all of it back in his face, just watch that little bastard have someone take him down a peg. 

Two things held you back. One, again, the wage was simply too good for you to give up this early on

And second…..he met his own standards. Eager as you were for any kind of hypocrisy to be found, he was always exactly as fast, exactly as precise, exactly as hard-working as he demanded you to be. And however stupid there was a part of you deep down inside that refused to admit defeat.

“Defeat?” Rif had asked when you described it to her. “What the hell does that mean?”

“Its like…..I don’t know.” You shook your head, your aching muscles draped against the table as she made dinner. “He’s a head shorter than me, a lot louder, and a fuckton more arrogant, and…..I don’t want him to be able to be that much better than me at this. At least not without a fight.”

“Wooooooow.”

“Shut up, I know its dumb.”

“Sounds like you two have more in common than you think.” She smirked. 

You groaned, your head hitting the table in the last surrender to gravity. “Shut. Up.”

Of course, it would be unfair to act like you were the only one at the receiving end of all of this. Rasp ordered everyone around, no one more so than his brother. It was almost comedic, the way the shorter one would strut around his giant of a brother and shout commands. And Syrup seemed to submit almost by default. More often than not it seemed to you like he never really had an opinion until Rasp told him what it should be. 

The only place that seemed entirely his domain was the greenhouse. Rasp rarely ventured in there, and on the few occasions he did you’d seen him open his mouth to offer an…..”opinion” only to be cowed into silence by a look from Syrup. A curious role reversal, but neither of the brothers ever seemed to struggle for power over each other’s areas.   
You found you preferred it in the greenhouse. Syrup was quiet, but a calming presence to be around. He could be a little exacting about you messing with his precious plants (the expression that clouded his face when you nearly dropped a seedling while repotting had been downright menacing), he was in general an okay guy. 

And you’d be lying if you said there may not be other reasons you enjoyed it more in there. Syrup wasn’t exactly a flirt but your rapport with him felt like something approaching it. You had a decent back and forth and you sometimes felt like his eyes lingered on you a second longer than technically necessary. You doubted there was anything to it, but it was kind of enjoyable for what it was.

Chara was also under command of the little tyrant, but they seemed to be bizarrely immune to consequences. If they ever ignored him he would rage and sulk but rarely do anything more, and moments later they would be as they were. You wondered if this had anything to do with their lives Underground. They certainly seemed to have an unusually tight bond.

Still, as the days drew on, the prospect of just throwing in the towel was becoming more and more appealing.

One day while you were out dumping slop in the feeding trough (the smell was starting to become unnoticeable to you, although you were certain it wasn’t to everyone around you), you felt a tap on your shoulder, startling you out of your thoughts and nearly making you drop the bucket.

“uh, sorry kid.” Syrup said, returning his hands to his pockets. “didn’t mean to startle ya.”

“uh, its fine.” You say, straightening up

He looked down at the front of your shirt. “got a little…”

You glance down. Some of the more liquid part of the slop had splashed out and was quickly forming a large stain over your stomach, drying fast in the summer heat. “Shit.” You say, dumping the slop in the trough and setting the bucket aside. “That was my last clean work shirt. This is gonna stain…”

“eh, don’t worry about it.” He said. Then a faint smile crept onto his face. “not like i’m one to judge for lookin a little….sloppy.”

It takes you by surprise and you burst out laughing. “Oh my gods.” You say. “That was really bad.”

“thank you” he says, grinning. “anyways, headed to town to pick up a few things, was wondering if you wanted to come with.”

You hesitated. On the one hand the idea of getting out of the sun into some gloriously air-conditioned buildings was really appealing. On the other… “Is your brother gonna be okay with it?”

“leave that to me.”

“Well, sure then.” You dust your hands on your jeans and look down again, sighing. “Guess my first impressions gonna be that I hurled on myself or something.”

He paused for a second and then untied the jacket from his waist and held it out to you.

“Oh, no, you don’t have to-“

“its fine. not gonna be wearin it anyway.”

You hesitate for a minute, but then take it. “I’ll…be right back.” You say, taking a half step towards the house.

“sure. ‘ll go talk to my bro.” He walked off. 

You slipped into the bathroom and took off the shirt. You ran it under the faucet until it was soaked through and left it in the bathtub to dry. Hopefully the stain might budge a bit. You slipped on the jacket, zipping it up.

It was way too big. Not like boyfriend big. Like child playing in their dad’s t-shirt big. You rolled the sleeves up to your elbow as best you could, but it still draped you ridiculously. This had to look too big even on Syrup, honestly. 

Comfy though. The lining was fur and just well-worn enough that it felt nice and snug. It smelled like nicotine and something sweet and vaguely acidic…..did he actually smell like maple syrup? What even…

You took a last look in the mirror. There was a part of you that kind of wondered what people were going to think with you walking around in his jacket. Probably who the fuck let you do your own shopping, if you were honest. You shrugged, and walked out.

“ABSOLUTELY NOT.”

“cmon, Chief, it won’t take that long.”

“THEY HAVEN’T FINISHED THEIR TASKS FOR THE DAY.”

Syrup and Rasp were in the kitchen. You waited on the threshold, not wanting to throw yourself in the middle of this. He glanced at you, and if you weren’t mistaken he seemed to be tracing you in his jacket, but his eyes immediately flicked back to his brother.

“you can make it without em for an hour or two. this is a lot of stuff, i’ll need help loading the truck.”

Rasp looked stubborn. “THEN GET AN EMPLOYEE FROM THERE.”

Syrup was quiet for a minute, and your heart sank slightly. Guess no trip for you. “well, alright.” He said, pushing off the counter and stretching his arms nonchalantly. “if you can’t handle the farm solo, guess i’ll just have to-“

“WHAT WAS THAT?”

Syrup looked the picture of innocence. “nothin, like you said, it’d be too much work if you were left alone. go ahead and keep the human, Chief.”

Holy shit….was he actually…? Your eyes darted to Rasp. He looked pissed, more so than usual, and there was the faintest twitch in his left eyesocket. “TOO MUCH WORK-!”

“Yeah, probably should keep em, honestly.” He was walking out, and you swore you saw a wink in your direction as he passed by, though it was too quick to tell. “you need em   
more than I do.”

The last straw. “HUMAN!” he screamed, before turning around to see you in the doorway. It startled him, which seemed to annoy him further. “I ORDER YOU TO GO WITH MY BROTHER!”

“Uh, yes sir.” You say, fighting hard against any laughter or even a grin.

“AND…TAKE A VERY LONG TIME!” he said, with a look at his brother. “AS I DOUBT I’LL HAVE ANY NEED FOR YOU!”

“O-of course, sir.” You say, only barely choking back a stray giggle.

“you sure, Chief?” Syrup said, still looking only concerned for his brother, though there was the faintest glint in his eyelights. “cause if you can’t manage-“

“OF COURSE I’M SURE, NOW GET OUT!” he said, storming to the back. The pig in armor, who’s name you had learned was Teacup, trotted after him.

Only until you were sure he was out of sight and earshot did you risk laughing. “I can’t believe that worked!”

Syrup grinned, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.  
“He actually bought that?!”

“i know how my brother ticks.” He said, taking a puff. “just don’t ever let on, kid.”

You shook your head. “Not if it keeps getting me out of work.” You shifted the jacket slightly. “So, how are we getting there. The teleporting thing?” You had seen him apparently blip in and out of existence a couple of times over the past week or two. It had been a little unnerving at first but you were kind of curious to try it out.

 

“nah. i mean usually, yeah.” He grabbed some keys off a hook near the door and opened the door, indicating you should follow. “but its too much stuff to carry so we’re taking the truck.”

“Alright.” You said. The heat hits you like a physical wave and the jacket clings to the veneer of sweat that instantly forms. “This jacket’s gonna reek when you get it back, fair warning.”

“shame, cause my standards are so high for cleanliness.” he said, smirking faintly. You followed him out to a garage where a dingy white truck was parked, patches of rust scattered throughout. He climbed in the drivers side while you clambered into the passengers. The insides smelled like smoke and the floor was littered with crumpled wrappers and bags from some place called “Muffet’s”. 

“This thing actually run?” You said, buckling the seatbelt. “looks like a junker.”

“yup.” He said, starting the car as the AC started pumping mercifully cold air into the front seat. “and it was a junker. me and a friend picked it up, fixed it a bit.” He pulled out.

“Huh. Didn’t know you were the handyman type.” You’d seen him tinker a bit when something broke around the farm but still, it surprised you.

He shrugged. “i dabble. more my friend’s thing than mine, but he didn’t need the truck.”

“Huh.” You settled in, watching the scenery pass by. “Will I meet this friend?”

“out of town at the moment, but you never know.” He rolled down a window to let the smoke out and rested one arm casually on the edge. “he comes and goes a lot.”

You nodded. For a moment you just sat in silence, but the drive back to town was almost half an hour, and you couldn’t really envision spending all that time in dead quiet. You started casting about for conversation topics. “So….you and your brother are close, aren’t you.”

“well, live together, work together, always have.” He said, taking a long puff. “so guess y’could say that, yeah.”

“You lived together underground too?”

 

Another thoughtful silence. “place like that, you didn’t really separate much from family ‘less you had a good reason.”

There was a certain tone of frigidness that kept you from asking further questions about the Underground, despite your curiousity. “So….has he always been like that?”  
“like what?”

You gave him a look, and he chuckled quietly. “just kidding. yeah, s-….rasp’s always been rasp. Used to be even more so, ‘fore chara turned up.”

“I can’t even imagine.” You groaned. “Why do you let him boss you around like that.”

He gave you a confused look. You could only return the favor.

“what else should i be doin?” It seemed like a genuine statement, more emotional than any you’d heard from Syrup previously. “he’s my brother. only family i’ve got. What else am i here for ‘cept to help him get where he’s goin?”

“alright, just curious.” You say placatingly. To be honest, the reaction takes you by surprise. Syrup was always friendly in his own way, but you’d come to understand that his feelings were usually subtext. Hearing him so impassioned was unusual.

He nodded slightly and returned to smoking. 

“…..so what’s his relationship with Chara, then?” you say. “Were they friends Underground?”

“the best. Never seen him take to anybody but me that fast.” He said. “course, didn’t hurt that they liked his puzzles.”

“Puzzles.”

“sort of a job underground. monsters would come up with ways to capture humans. more of a time passer than anything else, honestly.”

“Rasp any good?”

He paused. “My brother loved his job.”

…..in all probability this meant no. But by then you’d arrived. He pulled into the parking lot, close to the door, and you got out.

Inside was what you could only refer to as the Walmart of farms. Fertilizer, flower pots, tools, feed, seed….all of it stacked up as far as your eyes could see. Within minutes you were approached by a blonde girl in glasses and a uniform. She was on the small side but seemed strangely confident despite that. “Syrup, how’s it goin?”

“hey, cath.” He said, pulling a list out of his pocket. “mind givin me and the new hand a bit of help?” He pulls a slightly crumpled list out of his jacket pocket.

Cath (Cathy, judging by the name tag) scans the list. “Alright.” She tore the list in half, handing the top part to Syrup and keeping the bottom. “Truck in the usual spot?”   
He nodded, walking off down the aisle.

“Come on, I’ll show you where to find some of this.” She said, indicating for you to follow. Her eyes latch briefly on the jacket but the second you’ve noticed she’s turned away. 

“You're Rif’s housemate, right?”

It startles you slightly. “Uh, yeah.” You say. “You know Rif?”

She nodded. “Sorry, I’d have been out there earlier to say hi, but I’ve got two jobs and they keep me pretty busy.” She hands you a heavy bag of fertilizer and takes one of her own, walking toward the door.

It takes you almost an hour to load the truck. Seems Syrup leaves these trips until they absolutely have to happen. Lumber, fertilizer, some replacement parts, some medical supplies, feed…..The truck bed is stuffed so full that no matter how many different ways all of you rearrange it there’s still a sizable pile that won’t fit. 

“fuck.” Syrup said. “was hopin to not have to make a second trip…”

Cathy checked her watch. “Tell you what, I’m off in an hour anyways. Could probably talk my manager into letting me put the rest of the stuff in my car and then I just go home after helping you unload.”

“don’t have to.”

She shrugged. “I don’t mind.”

“alright, thanks. ‘ppreciate it.” He rolled his shoulder slightly. “me an’ them will load it up while you got talk to them?”

“Sounds good.” She said, walking away.

She came back a few minutes later, changed out of her uniform and holding a bag. She helped both of you load up the rest of the stuff, and then you and Syrup got in the car and pulled out, her close on your tail. The stuff in the back rattled with ever bump in the road (which were many) and part of you wondered if it would hold together for the drive back.

For a good ten minutes, you sat in silence, too tired from the hauling to talk much. Suddenly Syrup opened his mouth. “know he’s not the easiest to work with.”

It pulled you out of your own thoughts too suddenly for comprehension. “What?”

“my bro. know he’s not the easiest guy to work for.” There was a pointed silence from you. “alright, that’s understatin’ it a bit.” He took a drag from the cigarette.

You chuckled slightly. “I think he hates me.”

“nah.” He shook his head. “just doesn’t know ya.”

“He’s known me as long as you have.”

“my bro takes longer to warm up.” He said. “you just gotta earn his respect.”

“How?” you say. “I’m working my ass off every day for him, don’t talk back, call him sir, do everything I can, and its still not enough.” 

He shrugged. “Chief’s complicated. you’ll figure it out sooner or later.”

“Hopefully sooner.” You mutter. “Or there might not be a later.”

“well, wouldn’t want that.” He said. “who else is gonna drop my plants on the ground.”

“Hey!” you say, laughing slightly. “I didn’t drop it, I almost dropped it, there’s a difference.”

“right. ‘i didn’t stab you, I almost stabbed you, what are you so pissed about’.”

“Shut up.”

“that how you talk to your boss?”

“Least until payday comes.”

That got a laugh out of him, and you pulled in.

What was waiting there almost choked another laugh out of you. Rasp, sitting in a lawnchair, with a book and sunglasses, looking elaborately casual, clearly waiting for you and trying not to look it. You barely bit back a snicker and Syrup shot you a warning look as he climbed out of the car. 

“hey Chief.” He said. “how’s it going.”

“OH, FINE.” He said, making a show of looking up from his book. “ARE YOU BACK ALREADY? I DIDN’T NOTICE YOU HAD GONE. POSSIBLY BECAUSE YOUR ABSENCE WAS FELT SO   
LITTLE.”

“yeah, Chief.” He said, and even in his voice you could detect the edge of laughter threatening to cut through. “been gone for almost an hour and a half. uh…not much to do, i take it?”

“OH, THERE WAS LOTS. BUT I FINISHED IT. BECAUSE I AM SO INCREDIBLY EFFICIENT AND CAPABLE OF RUNNING THIS FARM SOLO. BY MYSELF. WITH NO HELP.” He returns dramatically to his book and you have to duck your chin into the jacket to stifle your snickers. 

“alright, well, Cathy came out to give us a hand unloading. mind, uh….helping us out?” Speak of the devil, she was just pulling in.

He sighed. “IF YOU NEED IT, WHICH YOU DO, THEN I SUPPOSE.” He closed the book. Suddenly Chara came charging out of the house.

“Cathy’s here?” they said, looking excited.

“Hey kid.” She said, coming out of her car. 

“did you bring it?!”

“you’ve seen it like a dozen times.”

“They haven’t!” they pointed to you. “show them!”

Cathy sighed, but pulled something out of their pocket. A…..was that a butterfly knife? You’d only seen those online…..she flicked her wrists and it did that cool flip thing you’d seen in videos. Chara looked enthralled.

“Should just get one of your own, kid.” She said, pocketing it again. 

“I want to, but Syrup won’t let me.” They said, giving him a mildly pouty expression.

“last thing I need is you losing fingers, kiddo.” He said, ruffling their hair and making them giggle. "your dad'll kill me."

“SO ARE WE UNLOADING OR NOT?” Rasp said, brushing past you. “HUMAN, HOP TO IT!”

You sigh, giving Syrup a pointed look. “Sure thing, boss.” You grabbed some stuff from the back of the truck.

If loading had been tiring, unloading was grueling. There were a lot of different specific nooks and crannies that you had to put the stuff in, and now you had Rasp’s dulcet tones lashing you forward. Soon, you, Cathy, and Chara were dripping with sweat. Syrup looked remarkably unheated, and if you looked close you could see a thin blue….aura, of sorts, around the stuff he was carrying. Chara spotted it too.

“Syrup, you’re cheating!”

“don’t know what you’re talkin about, kid.” He said, stone-faced as he kept walking by. Chara muttered to themselves but kept at work, leaving you with only questions you were sure you’d receive no answer for.

Finally, Cathy and Blood were picking up the last thing, a heavy crate of feed. They were struggling to get a grip on it while navigating it out of the truck bed. Chara and you were standing off to the side, Chara taking a long sip from their glass of lemonade while you were shifting, just waiting for them to finish up. 

“Just…lift a little more on the left side.” Said Cathy, clearly reaching the end of her patience.

“I AM LIFTING MORE ON THE LEFT SIDE!”

“I can clearly feel you are not.”

Chara’s cup slipped from their hand, rolling across the ground. They went to go retrieve it.

“ITS SLIPPING.” 

“It is no-SHIT!”

“NO!” 

Everything seemed to move in slow motion, the box toppling through midair, Chara directly underneath it and head turning to see, slow, too slow. You felt your legs push off and   
throw you forward, hands reaching out. They made contact with their back, shoving them out of the way….and suddenly there was a sharp pain on the top of your head, and everything went black.

You awoke to Chara shaking you, their face hovering over yours. “ohmygods, ohmygods, ohmygods, are you okay?!”

Your head hurt like a bitch and your vision was a little dazed. A little behind Chara you saw the box, glowing bright blue and gently being levitated to the ground. Syrup stood by, his eyes glowing and looking like he was coming off a brief panic. A pair of booted feet dropped down beside you and Rasp was kneeling by your head, his face undiscernible. Chara looked up. “They’re bleeding a lot.” Their voice was fearful.

“HUMAN! CAN YOU HEAR ME?”

His voice made your head ring but you nodded faintly.

Cathy dropped down to the ground. “Dude, I’m so, so sorry, I-“

“BROTHER.” Rasp said. “TAKE CATHY HOME AND FETCH UNDYNE. THIS’LL NEED PATCHING UP.”

Syrup nodded and grabbed Cathy’s shoulder, fading with a slight pop.

Your grip on reality was beginning to fade, the edges of your world growing black. You heard a distant echo of a voice but couldn’t make it out until it was repeated a few times.

“HUMAN! DON’T YOU DARE LOSE CONSCIOUSNESS!”

You groan softly. “hurts….”

“Rasp, we have to stop the bleeding!” Chara said.

A slight pause and suddenly you felt some fabric being tied tight around your head. The pressure hurt but you weren’t really aware enough to care. Your eyes were flickering closed on and off. 

“WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT STAYING AWAKE?” A bony arm wrapped around your back and jerked you to your feet. He was rough, but he let you lean your weight entirely on him as he led you to the house. "YOU MAY HAVE A CONCUSSION."

“Just closin my eyes…”

“HUMAN, I’M ORDERING YOU, DON’T FALL ASLEEP.” You felt another arm scoop under your legs and you were gently laid on the couch. Chara hovered by, red eyes wide and fearful.

“can’t really order me on this one, boss…” So tired, your head just hurt so bad and all you wanted to do was surrender to the fuzzy blackness creeping up on you.

“FALL ASLEEP, AND YOU'RE FIRED.”

Oddly enough, his tone, which would have annoyed you in any other scenario, does manage to draw you back into consciousness. It fills your head, forcing you to focus.  
“alright….okay….”

“CHARA, GET THEM SOME WATER.” They nodded and darted off to the kitchen while Rasp returned his focus to you.

“THAT WAS A VERY FOOLISH THING YOU JUST DID.” He said quietly.

“wasn’t really…thinking….” You blinked hard, forcing yourself awake. “Just…..had to help them….”

Something flickers in his eyelights and he seems to be ready to speak when Syrup appears in the living room. At his side is a blue, scaly looking redhead in a labcoat.

“they doin okay?”

Rasp backed off abruptly. “TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH.”

“If you took better c-care of your h-hands, I-I wouldn’t be here at all.” The woman muttered. She knelt by your head and undid the cloth, dropping it on your chest. Chara brought over the water and the woman took it out of her hands, tipping it onto a cloth and pressing it into your head so roughly it made you wince. 

“Gentler, ‘Dyne.” Chara said. 

“IF YOU CAUSE GREATER DAMAGE TO THEM, I SWEAR-“

“Relax!” she said, easing up a bit on your head. “I-it’s a shallow cut. I’ll j-just clean it and dress it. H-honestly,” and she resumed muttering words you couldn’t make out. While she cleaned Chara lifted what was left in the cup to your lips and you drank readily.

“feelin okay, kid?” Syrup said. You couldn’t help but noticed his fingers drumming on his leg, and wondered if this expressed annoyance, discomfort, or concern. 

“About as okay as I can be, considering.” You groan softly as she starts winding the bandages around your head. The cloth stings. “Thanks for stopping the box.” 

“no problem.” He said. “woulda been better if i’d stopped it sooner, though.”

“Yeah,” You said. A slow smile drifted over your face. “That really would have been crate.”

It catches him off guard. He stares at you for a half second like you’ve lost your mind and then burst out laughing.

Rasp looks furious. “OH MY GODS, NOT THEM TOO!” He shot you a look. “HUMAN, I FORBID YOU FROM ENGAGING IN THESE AWFUL JOKES.”

“aw chief, c’mon, don’t box them in like that.”

“SYRUP, I SWEAR TO-“

“I-if you’re quite done.” Dyne said. You heard the snip of scissors behind your head and flinched, but when you looked around they were just cutting the end of the bandage off the roll. They seemed to find your reaction…troublingly amusing, but didn’t say anything, only fastened the end with a safety pin.

While they worked you finally focused on the cloth on your chest. It was a dark purple (excepting the blood soaked parts and looked oddly familiar….

You looked up at Rasp and suddenly connected the dots, his bandanna was missing.

“Oh, shit…” you said.

“what? you feeling okay, kid?”

You looked at Rasp. “’m sorry….I think I ruined it…” You had never seen him without that thing, either tied around his head or his neck.

He didn’t seem to catch your meaning, then it clicked and his face turned a bright purple as he looked away. “FORGET IT.”

“woah, chief, you used that for their head?”

“I HAVE OTHERS.” Rasp said, clearly indicating he didn’t want to talk about it any further.

“I can try and wash it-“

“I SAID FORGET IT!” he snapped, flushing a deeper purple. 

Somewhere in your dehydrated and scattered mind it registered that its possible he was attempting to be kind, of all things, and likely didn’t want you acknowledging it. Do you stayed quiet, only balling it in your hands and vowing you would try and scrub it out later.

“I-I’m finished.” Dyne said, standing up. “N-now can you take me back? I h-have an experiment to run and its d-date night.” 

“Thanks, Dyne.” Chara chimed in. The woman hesitated, but patted them somewhat awkwardly on the head.

“O-of course.” She turned back to Syrup. “Now can we go?”

You mumble out a thank you but its doubtful she heard before Syrup disappeared again.

“I’LL GIVE YOU THE DAY OFF TOMORROW, BUT I EXPECT REGULAR UPDATES ON YOUR RECOVERY, UNDERSTOOD?”

“Yes, sir.” Its said less bitterly than normally. Slowly its starting to dawn on you. He was concerned. And possibly a bit guilty. 

“I really am sorry, y/n.” Chara said.

You shook your head. “Not your fault….”

Syrup came back seconds later. “chief, it okay if i take them home?”

“YES, THAT SEEMS BEST.” He looked at your sternly. “REGULAR UPDATES, OR I BREAK DOWN YOUR DOOR.”

“You got it….chief.” you said. It seems to catch him off-guard, but it doesn’t anger him. He just mutters something and waves you off, guiding Chara away.

“ready to go?”

You nod, shifting to sit up. “Uh….mind giving me a hand?”

He paused, then reached down, you assumed to help you into a standing position…..and you suddenly found yourself being picked up princess style. Your face went red instantly.

“Uh-“

He didn’t seem to notice your embarrassment but there was a hint of his smirk on his face that said he knew exactly what he was doing. You couldn’t tell if that pissed you off or just made the fluster worse.

“hang on tight, kid.” Before you could even think to brace yourself everything went black. You felt a slight pressure in your core, not painful but bizarre and tingling, before the light returned and you found yourself outside your doorstep.

He set you down on your feet but kept an arm around you to keep you upright, knocking on the door.

“Its open!” Rif called from inside.

Syrup pushed open the door and helped you hobble inside. Rif was unpacking groceries and only looked up when you were fully in the room. 

“Hey, you’re- WHAT THE HELL?!”  
\---------

Syrup explained what had happened while Rif pulled you into your bedroom and ordered you to lie down. Honestly it was kind of funny. She never really knew what to do when people were hurt and so just went full panic mode. They talked out of sight for a few minutes while you laid back and tried to ignore the now throbbing pain. Syrup came in finally.

“i’m gonna take off, you need anything?” he said.

You shook your head. “Just pre-emptive forgiveness for any bloodstains that end up on this jacket.”

He snorted. “well, wouldn’t be the first time.”

…….ominous.

“welp, i’m headed out then.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “keep Chief updated if you don’t want your door knocked down.” He grinned faintly. “or if you want company, don’t.”

You laughed. “We’ll see. Thanks.”

He nodded, and disappeared. You noticed that you still had the bandanna tightly furled in your head and looked at it for a bit, trying to figure out its owner in your mind. You were still turning the day over in your head when you mercifully passed out.

 

Two days later you felt you’d healed enough to go back to work. The jacket had escaped with only a few droplets so after a good wash to get rid of your sweat smell you returned it to Syrup. The bandanna, however, was another matter entirely. No matter what detergent you scrubbed with it still looked no less like a murder scene. Hesitantly you approached Rasp.

“Sorry, I tried my best, but nothing-“

He looked almost pissed you were bringing it up again. “I TOLD YOU, I HAVE OTHERS. THIS MEANS NOTHING TO ME.” To prove his point he gestured to the new one tied around his neck.

“Oh….okay.” You said. “Alright, just wanted to be sure.” You stuffed it in your back pocket and went to return to work.

“WAIT.” 

You expected it to be followed up with the usual litany of new commands, but nothing. There was only a long silence. Finally you turned around. “Yes?”

Looking furious (you weren’t sure if with you or himself), he shoved something soft in your hands. You looked down….to see a fresh, clean purple cloth in your hands. Not the one around his neck, a different one. This one looked less worn, quite new.

“Um…?”

“BANDANNAS ARE USEFUL FOR TYING THE HAIR BACK AND COLLECTING SWEAT.” He said tersely. “BESIDES, IT’LL COVER THAT CUT ON YOUR HEAD.”

Slowly it dawned on you. Chara, Rasp, Syrup, even Teacup….all of them owned at least one. Chara’s was usually tied around their arm. Syrup always had his on him, even if just stuffed in his pocket. Was this his way of showing you something? That he’d accepted you?

“SO ARE YOU PUTTING IT ON OR NOT.”

You smiled. “Sorry, yeah.” After some debate you tied it around your head. Would protect the cut from getting anything in it, like he said.

“Thank you.” You tried to laden those words with as much meaning as you could. He wouldn’t accept profusions, you understood that about him. But you wanted him to know that you understood, at least partially, what he was really saying.

Maybe you imagined it, but something in his face softened. “YOU’RE WELCOME.”

“Uh…” you pointed back towards the barn. “Should get back to work.”

That brought him back. “YES, OF COURSE.” He started walking the opposite direction. “AND I WANT THOSE FENCES PAINTED RIGHT, UNDERSTAND?”

“Sure thing….chief.” You didn’t wait to see his reaction and turned back to the barn, grinning to yourself. On the way, you passed Syrup, who saw the bandanna and smiled. 

“told ya.” He said quietly as you passed.

\-------

That night you were getting ready for bed when you realized you still had the old stained bandanna in your pocket. You considered throwing it away, but found your hand stopped just before dropping it in the trash can. You turned it over a bit. Probably you had washed it enough to where it wouldn’t smell…

You dug up a safety pin and tacked it to the wall right by the photo of your family, the purple making a spot of color on the white barrenness. You smiled to yourself before turning off the lights and crawling into bed.

Maybe you’d hold off a while on quitting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew  
> Yeah I briefly considered Rasp only having one bandanna but given how rough the Underground was and how active he is I didn't really picture any lasting long. Instead he buys them in bulk and gives them to the three (well, now four) people (and one pig) he trusts.Yeah, I couldn't find a place to fit it in, but SF!Alphys also has one.  
> Welcome to the Swapfell crew, here's your bandanna  
> Anyways, some AU introduction in the next chapter, and it should be coming sooner, I promise


End file.
